Jump to content
Snow?
Local
Radar
Cold?
IGNORED

Washington Hit By Storms


Recommended Posts

Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Some three million people have been left without power after violent storms hit the region around the US capital, Washington DC.

The storms swept from the Midwest states to the region around Washington, packing winds of up to 80mph (130 km/h).

The power outages left many sweltering without air conditioning amid a record-breaking heatwave.

At least 12 deaths have been linked to the storm, officials say.

The storm is locally referred to as a "derecho" - a violent, straight-lined windstorm associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms.

It left behind felled trees, streets littered with fallen branches and downed power lines.

Washington's transit authority said most metro lines were back to normal service after the storm disrupted service on all lines during Friday night. But many Metrobus routes were subject to detours or delay due to downed trees and power lines.

Amtrak suspended services from Washington to Philadelphia.

The heatwave has seen all-time records smashed with temperatures of 104F (40C) in DC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...canada-18656648

Interesting cloud photo.

post-12275-0-36000000-1341150421_thumb.j

post-12275-0-31763300-1341150434_thumb.j

Edited by knocker
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Ireland, probably South Tipperary
  • Weather Preferences: Cold, Snow, Windstorms and Thunderstorms
  • Location: Ireland, probably South Tipperary

Radar sequence of the "Derecho"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

I'm not surprised. No power and a heatwave is a pretty deadly combination.

States of emergency have now been declared in four states and the US capital after violent storms cut a swathe through the east of the country.

Thirteen deaths have been linked to the sudden storms, which, packing hurricane-strength winds, uprooted trees and downed power lines.

Amid an intense heatwave, three million people were left without power.

Power companies are warning that some may not have electricity restored for up to a week.

Officials have warned that the heatwave - compounded by the loss of air conditioning due to power outages - could threaten the very young, old and sick.

In Bradley county, eastern Tennessee, the high temperature has been blamed for the deaths of two brothers, age three and five, who were playing outside in 105F (40.6C) heat, Reuters news agency reports.

'Dangerous'

Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio and the District of Columbia have all now declared states of emergency.

Virginia Gov Bob McDonnell said the state - where six people died from the storms - had had its largest non-hurricane power outage in history.

"This is a very dangerous situation," he said, according to Associated Press.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...canada-18663875

Edited by knocker
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Looking at the chart for the NE US at 1800z many stations with temps over 100F. I hope they get the power working otherwise your looking at a nightmare scenario.

post-12275-0-43122700-1341171534_thumb.j

Edited by knocker
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Power outages drag on in D.C. region; officials fuming at utility companies

With much of Montgomery County still without power and ongoing 911 problems continuing across Northern Virginia on Sunday afternoon, local officials vowed to press utilities to restore service more quickly.

“I will not accept the timetable of July the 6th, said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), shortly after Pepco announced some homes would not have their power restored until Friday or even later. “Having our citizens go seven days without utilities in my opinion is not the kind of service we should expect.â€

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/power-outages-could-last-for-days/2012/07/01/gJQA3JVjFW_story.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Caterham-on-the-hill, Surrey, 190m asl (home), Heathrow (work)
  • Location: Caterham-on-the-hill, Surrey, 190m asl (home), Heathrow (work)

Radar sequence of the "Derecho"

One hell of a long-tracked derecho, seem to start life over Iowa, Nern Illinois then tracking across the Ohio Valley then the East Coast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

Really odd weather out there at the moment:

Mid-Atlantic languishes in stifling heat after storms kill 17 people, cripple utilities

(CBS/AP) FRANCONIA, Va. - A day after seeking refuge at shopping malls and movie theaters, hoping the lights would be back on when they returned, nearly 2.7 million residents faced a grim reality Sunday: stifling homes, spoiled food and a looming commute filled with knocked-out stoplights.

Two days after storms slammed the mid-Atlantic region, power outages were forcing people to get creative to stay cool in dangerously hot weather. Temperatures approached 100 degrees in many storm-stricken areas, and utility officials said the power will likely be out for several more days. "If we don't get power tonight, we'll have to throw everything away," Susan Fritz, a mother of three, said grimly of her refrigerator and freezer. Fritz came to a library in Bethesda, Md., so her son could do school work. She charged her phone and iPad at her local gym.

The severe weather that began Friday was blamed for 17 deaths, most from trees falling on homes and cars. Three people were killed Sunday in eastern North Carolina when sudden storms hit there. Meanwhile, Coast Guard officials say they have suspended the search for a man who went missing early Saturday while boating during the storm off Maryland. On Sunday night, federal and state officials in the mid-Atlantic region gave many workers the option of staying home Monday to ease congestion on the roads. Federal agencies will be open in Washington, but non-emergency employees have the option of taking leave or working from home. Maryland's governor also gave state workers wide leeway for staying out of the office.

The bulk of the damage was in West Virginia, Washington and the capital's Virginia and Maryland suburbs. At least six of the dead were killed in Virginia, including a 90-year-old woman asleep in her bed when a tree slammed into her home. Two young cousins in New Jersey were killed when a tree fell on their tent while camping. Two were killed in Maryland, one in Ohio, one in Kentucky and one in Washington.

On Sunday night in North Carolina, a 77-year-old man was killed when strong winds collapsed a Pitt County barn where he was parking an all-terrain vehicle, authorities said. In neighboring Beaufort County, a couple was killed when a tree fell on the golf cart they were driving. Officials said trees fell onto dozens of houses, and two hangars were destroyed at an airport in Beaufort County. The damage was mostly blamed on straight-line winds. From Atlanta to Baltimore, temperatures approached or exceeded triple digits. Atlanta set a record with a high of 105 degrees, while the temperature hit 99 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport just outside the nation's capital. With no air conditioning, officials urged residents to check on their elderly relatives and neighbors. It was tough to find a free pump at gas stations that did have power, and lines of cars snaked around fast-food drive-thrus.

The forecast for the region predicted temperatures in the mid to upper 90s for the week to come.

States worked to make sure the power stayed on at water treatment plants so that people at least had clean water. Chain-saws buzzed throughout neighborhoods as utility crews scrambled to untangle downed trees and power lines. Neighbors banded together. "Food, ice — we're all sharing," said 51-year-old Elizabeth Knight, who lives in the blue-collar Richmond suburb of Lakeside.

The Friday evening storms, a meteorological phenomenon known as a derecho, moved quickly across the region with little warning. The straight-line winds were just as destructive as any hurricane — but when a tropical system strikes, officials usually have several days to get extra personnel in place. Not so this time. "Unlike a polite hurricane that gives you three days of warning, this storm gave us all the impact of a hurricane without any of the warning," Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

Power crews from as far away as Florida and Oklahoma were on their way to the mid-Atlantic region to help get the power back on and the air conditioners running again. Even if people have generators, the gas-run devices often don't have enough power to operate an air conditioner. And power restoration was spotty: Several people interviewed by The Associated Press said they remained without power even though the lights were on at neighbors' homes across the street. In Maryland, Gov. O'Malley promised that he would push utility companies to get electricity restored as quickly as possible. "No one will have his boot further up Pepco's and BGE's backsides than I will," O'Malley said Sunday afternoon, referring to the two main utilities serving Maryland.

National Guard troops were brought in to help in New Jersey and West Virginia. Crews had for the most part cleared debris from major roadways, and signals were working in many major intersections. But officials still had much work to do on secondary roads. Sixty-year-old John Swift was content to rough it, at least for now. The Lakeside resident has a camping stove for cooking, doesn't mind cold showers and doesn't watch TV even when the power is working. He can charge his phone in his car, he said. "It's hot, that's the biggest nuisance, the biggest concern," he said.

Forecasters warned the high temperatures put people at risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The National Weather Service told people to drink plenty of fluids, and to stay in air-conditioned rooms away from direct sunlight. Some cities gave residents free admission to swimming pools. The weather service said yet another round of thunderstorms was possible late Sunday and early Monday, threatening strong winds and hail. Fire rescue authorities also warned people to be careful when using candles and generators to help light darkened homes. Officials already had gotten calls in Maryland about people sickened by carbon monoxide fumes from generators.

In Waldorf, Md., Charles County emergency officials handed out free 40-pound bags of ice to anyone who needed them. Among the takers was Ann Brown, 47, of Accokeek, Md., who had stayed in a hotel Saturday night because her house was without power. She went to a cookout in Upper Marlboro, Md., on Saturday after family members decided to cook all the food in the freezer rather than let it go bad. "Whatever they had, that's what we ate, and it was great," Brown said. Whether she makes the commute to work on Monday will depend entirely on how comfortable the office is. "If they don't have power, I'm not going. But if they have power, yeah, I'm going in, to be in the air conditioning all day," she said.

A pirate-themed splash park at a recreation center in Franconia was near capacity before noon Sunday. Alan Gorowitz, 44, a civilian Pentagon employee from Springfield, brought his 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. Aside from spoiled food, he said the family wasn't suffering. "If she wants m-i-l-k, there's nothing I can do," Gorowitz said, gesturing at his daughter as she munched on pretzels. He said the family hadn't done extensive disaster preparation. "We keep batteries, water, flashlights," Gorowitz said. "My friend across the street has the generator going today, the emergency food stocks and lots of guns. We're not quite there. I don't think we're close to having looters."

http://www.cbsnews.c...ain;contentBody

http://youtu.be/hFMySNGmkV8

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Watford, Hertfordshire, 68.7m ASL
  • Weather Preferences: Humid Continental Climate (Dfa / Dfb)
  • Location: Watford, Hertfordshire, 68.7m ASL

LOL and the UK is struggling to reach 70f , one couldnt make it up

its been around 20c around here for the last few days so not really. plus its are normal temperature for this time of year anyway. Can't expect much to be honest its England.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

More than 1 million homes and businesses in a swath from Indiana to Virginia remained without power on Wednesday, five days after deadly storms tore through the region. The outage meant no July 4 Independence Day holiday for thousands of utility workers who scrambled to restore lingering power outages. Much of the damage to the power grid was blamed on last weekend's rare "derecho," a big, powerful and long-lasting wind storm that blew from the Midwest to the Atlantic Ocean.

Violent weekend storms and days of record heat have killed at least 23 people in the United States since Friday. Some died when trees fell on their homes and cars, and heat stroke killed others. Energy provider Dominion Virginia Power said emergency crews were working around the clock to deal with 60,000 outages for its customers throughout Virginia as of noon Wednesday.

Service for virtually all customers in Northern Virginia and the Richmond metropolitan area who lost electric service because of the storms should be restored by Friday night, said Daisy Pridgen, a Dominion spokeswoman. In a few instances, work may continue into Saturday where there was extreme damage, she said. More than 5,000 people from 18 states and Canada were working through the holiday, Rodney Blevins, a Dominion vice president, said in a statement. The company said it had restored power to about 90 percent of its 1 million customers who had lost electric service because of the weekend storms, the biggest non-hurricane outage in the company's history.

Much of the hardest-hit areas were to bake for another day in scorching heat, with the National Weather Service forecasting temperatures from 90 Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) to more than 100 F (37.7 C) from the Midwest to the Atlantic Coast. In Washington, about 5,000 customers of local power company Pepco were still without power on Wednesday morning, and the city was distributing food to people who were unable to cook at home. Closer to 50,000 Pepco customers in suburban Maryland were still in the dark.

But the region still most affected, however, was West Virginia and the neighboring Blue Ridge Mountain section of Virginia, accounting for close to half of the lingering outage. In West Virginia, 174,960 of Appalachian Power'shalf-million customers remain without electric service, the company said in a noon update on Wednesday. Just over the state line in the mountains of western Virginia, 110,578 Appalachian clients remained blacked out, it said.

"Crews are continuing to find additional damage to our distribution and transmission facitilities," a statement on the company's website said. It said additional crews from outside the area will join restoration efforts as they become available. More than 3,000 workers are dedicated to its effort in Virginia and West Virginia, the company said. Other utilities also pledged to keep crews working - some in 16-hour shifts - until the electricity was restored. Virginia's Arlington County, across the Potomac River from Washington, still had 6,875 people without power as of 7 a.m, said John Crawford, deputy director of the county's office of emergency management.

Verizon services to the county's 911 emergency communications center are "still not 100 percent stable," but have been up and running for 48 hours without known incident, he told Reuters.

http://uk.reuters.co...E85T02U20120705

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Quite interesting.

NASA Satellites Examine a Powerful Summer Storm

07.05.12

As a powerful summertime storm, known as a derecho, moved from Illinois to the Mid-Atlantic states on June 29, expanding and bringing destruction with it, NASA and other satellites provided a look at various factors involved in the event, its progression and its aftermath.

http://www.nasa.gov/...es/derecho.html

Edited by knocker
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • UK Storm and Severe Convective Forecast

    UK Severe Convective & Storm Forecast - Issued 2024-03-29 07:13:16 Valid: 29/03/2024 0600 - 30/03/2024 0600 THUNDERSTORM WATCH - FRI 29 MARCH 2024 Click here for the full forecast

    Nick F
    Nick F
    Latest weather updates from Netweather

    Difficult travel conditions as the Easter break begins

    Low Nelson is throwing wind and rain at the UK before it impacts mainland Spain at Easter. Wild condtions in the English Channel, and more rain and lightning here on Thursday. Read the full update here

    Netweather forecasts
    Netweather forecasts
    Latest weather updates from Netweather

    UK Storm and Severe Convective Forecast

    UK Severe Convective & Storm Forecast - Issued 2024-03-28 09:16:06 Valid: 28/03/2024 0800 - 29/03/2024 0600 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH - THURS 28 MARCH 2024 Click here for the full forecast

    Nick F
    Nick F
    Latest weather updates from Netweather
×
×
  • Create New...